The product lifecycle of CD’s and DVD’s Aaron Sisneros and Melissa Ledenbach

Raise and Extract CD’s and DVD’s are made of many different materials which include: Aluminum Aluminum Polycarbonates Polycarbonates Lacquer Lacquer Gold Gold Dyes Dyes And other materials such as water, glass, silver, and nickel And other materials such as water, glass, silver, and nickel

How are These Materials Extracted? The metals that are present in the CD/DVD are mostly mined and partially come from recycled materials such as aluminum cans The plastics and dyes in a CD are produced from crude oil and are produced and developed in labs

Process From these mines and labs the materials are transported to a processing plant where they are washed, filtered, altered, etc.

Manufacturing 1. Creating a core of the CD/DVD 2. Metalizing 3. Protection 4. Screen printing 5. Packaging 6. Transportation/Distribution

Product Use CD’s are made of a rigid material which means that they can be kept for a lifetime or even longer when taken care of. People use CD’s/DVD’s for many different things, but they are mainly used for data storage like music and movies

Disposal Disposal: Most CD’s/DVD’s that are thrown in the trash and up in landfills and those that are littered can end up in our streets or forests and our oceans further harming our environment.

Recycle Recycle: CD’s/DVD’s can be recycled at electronic recycling plants and after further processing can be turned into office equipment, cable insulation, etc. How it Happens: The CD’s/DVD’s are ground up into a gravel like substance and sold to companies which will melt the product and turn it into something else.

Reuse Reuse: Minor scratches on the CD’s/DVD’s can be repaired with a plastic adhesive and disks which are beyond repair can be used for aesthetic purposes such as an art project or it can be recycled into products mentioned before.

The End Bibliography: Life Cycle of a CD or DVD. epa. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Life Cycle of a CD or DVD. epa. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Siddons, S. (n.d.). TLC Family "Ultimate Guide to Recycled CD Crafts". TLC "Guides". Retrieved April 27, 2012, from Schalchen Plant - Welcome to Linde AG Linde Engineering Division Schalchen Plant. (n.d.). Schalchen Plant - Welcome to Linde AG Linde Engineering Division Schalchen Plant. Retrieved April 27, 2012, from plantcomponents.com/en.php